Meet Maria van Oosterwijck

On a quiet hallway in the original section of the Crocker Art Museum there hangs a painting by Maria van Oosterwijck (1630 - 1693), one of the few women artists whose works Margaret Crocker purchased in 1872.

Roses and Butterfly
n.d. (c. 1675)
Oil on canvas 
14 1/2 in. x 11 1/2 in. (36.83 cm x 29.21 cm) 
Crocker Art Museum, E. B. Crocker Collection. 1872.488

Generally categorized as a still-life, this genre was quite common in 17th century Netherlands.

Imagery consisting of flowers, vegetables, sometimes a cooked fish or a bowl of fruit were Dutch artists' favorite still-life subjects. Often a fly or a bee, sometimes a worm or, in this case, a butterfly, can be seen too, usually as a reminder that although the subject is still there is yet life to it.

The still-life was a popular form used by the painter Maria van Oosterwijck, who produced floral images with allegorical themes known as vanitas. The distinction between a still-life and vanitas comes from the didactic nature of the latter. Still-lifes are decorative with an emphasis on the aesthetic; vanitas paintings, on the other hand, contain instruction, usually with a moral imperative. Van Oosterwijck excelled at both.

In this case, Roses and Butterfly has the appearance of a calm still life depicting a provence rose in the center, surrounded by two red striped carnations tied with a blue bow. A white butterfly kisses the rose, the only hint of action in the image.

provence rose

The provence rose, also known as a cabbage rose, or by its Latin name Rosa Centifolia, is a hybrid flower cultivated by Dutch gardeners in the 17th century. At least one source claims that it originated in Persia and arrived in Netherlands in the late 16th century, during a period of "vigorous trade and cultural exchange" between the two regions (Conan 45).

Known for its fragrance and large cabbage-like petals, the provence rose was a popular subject for still life painters of the period. Indeed it is still a prominant plant in gardens around the world today.

The carnations depicted here are a bit more problematic. Known as dianthus, the carnations provide ominous meaning. First, because they are associated with Zeus -- dios means god in Greek, while anthos means flower -- but second because many myths attribute a negative connotation to the red striped carnation, suggesting rejected love or regret. In this painting, the beauty of the fragrant rose is literally surrounded by symbols of power and rejection.

Art historians have determined that Maria van Oosterwijck painted most of her works between 1660 and 1689. Roses and Butterfly was likely painted in the 1670s, based on the subject matter and technique that she used when compared to other similar paintings with known dates. Margaret Crocker purchased this painting on or shortly before the 200th year anniversary of its creation.

There is also the matter of the white butterfly, known locally as vlinder. The Dutch have a proverb for this association between a rose and the butterfly: Een witte vlinder op een rode roos…wat een romantisch beeld. A white butterfly on a red rose ... what a romantic image. 

close-up, vlinder

Yet there is a kind of cynicism freighted to its meaning, particularly adjacent to the red striped carnations. The moth kisses the rose, which is romantic and gives the painting action, but it, too, is surrounded by rejection and refusal. What's more, the image of romance does not match the substance: is this a painting of romance refused? Might the provence rose be a lover scorned? 

These rhetorical questions are reinforced by the universal meaning of the butterfly as one of intransigence and transformation. Love cannot last forever in the face of refusal. It will change. It must change. And when it does, love flutters away like butterfly on the wing.

Finally there is the business with the blue ribbon. Maria van Oosterwijck uses a similar construction in many of her other paintings in the 1670s. Interestingly enough, the blue ribbon is often associated with the Order of the Blue Garter, a symbol of power for the Stuart royal family of England.

Equestrian Portrait of William of Orange
wearing the blue ribbon
Johann Voorhout
c. 1690

In 1672 -- about the time that Maria van Oosterwijck was painting this image -- William of Orange was the reigning Stadholder of Holland. He governed under the authority of the English king, his uncle King Charles II. 

In 1677, -- the upper date for the completion of Maria van Oosterwijck's painting -- William of Orange married his cousin, Mary Stuart. She was the daughter of his other uncle, James, Duke of York, who later became King James II when his older brother Charles II died in 1683. 

William's marriage to Mary solidified the royal houses of England and Holland. Their arranged marriage was a strategic alliance to hold off the threat posed by neighboring King Louis XIV of France. 

Might they be the butterfly and the rose, surrounded by the danger of Louis, the self-proclaimed Sun God king? Clearly this is a matter of conjecture, the answer for which we will never know. 

What can be known for certain is that this still-life, by one of the only women artists acquired by Margaret Crocker in 1872, contains far more meaning than the casual glance might suggest.